4 Great Books for your DIY Library

Outside the blogs like this one, books are a great way to get new ideas and sharpen your skills. All too often, I find nothing but outdated crafting and how-to books with black and white pictures and outdated power tools.    

A while back, I set out to find books, old and new that make great additions to your own DIY library.

Here’s a quick round up of some of the newer books I look to often for weekend projects, ideas and guidance.

1. Merchant & Mills Sewing Book by Carolyn N.K. Denham This is a fantastic book for any level of seamsters. With an emphasis in quality craftsmanship, this book is perfect for beginners and masters alike. It’s filled with techniques for hand-sewing, machine know-how, fold-out patterns and projects. In hand, this book looks antique, but its pages are filled with brilliant illustrations and stunning, modern photographs. 

2. The Foundations of Better Woodworking by Jeff Miller If you are really into the DIY lifestyle, you’ll find that you cannot accomplish much without cutting and shaping wood. It didn’t take long for me to move from making a wall shelf to wanting to rebuild my kitchen cabinets from beautiful hardwoods. I’m totally in love with the overview this book gives to every aspect of wood, from tree growth to fine finishes. You’ll find yourself referencing this book time and time again as you learn and grow (pun intended) in woodworking.

3. Made By Hand by Lena Corwin The cover alone tells you how much fun you’re going to have with this book. It’s stocked with amazing projects that put your average Pinterest craft to shame. This book is full of unique projects like knitted socks, hand dipped candles, woven camera straps and hand-printing textiles. 

4. Building with Secondhand Stuff: How to Reclaim, Revamp, Repurpose and Reuse Salvaged and Leftover Building Materials by Chris Peterson

Building With Secondhand Stuff takes the green-minded methods of salvaging and expands it into step-by-step guides for anyone interested in remodeling or updating the decor of their home. This book shows you how to go about salvaging materials, (including wood flooring, hardware, windows, doors and stonework) refinishing and reinstalling them in your own home. It also has several small project ideas you can tackle on a weekend like building a copper pipe pot rack or using a reclaimed granite slab to spruce up your kitchen island counter.

Next week, I’ll have a short list of older books that will make important additions to your workshop library. What books did I leave out? I’d love to know what’s in your collection!